Stock futures point to higher open ahead of CPI data

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Friday ahead of key data on inflation and consumer sentiment and quarterly results from major retailer JC Penney .

* U.S. CPI figures for July are due at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Economists in a Reuters survey expect CPI to be unchanged compared with a 0.7 percent increase in June. Excluding volatile food and energy items, CPI is expected to rise 0.1 percent versus a 0.2 percent increase in June.

* Abercrombie & Fitch Co reported a quarterly loss as revenues slid 23 percent. The shares were up 0.4 percent at $33.06 before the bell, paring earlier losses. JC Penney Co Inc results were also due before the bell.

* The Federal Reserve is to release industrial production and capacity utilization data for July at 9:15 a.m. EDT. A Reuters survey of economists showed an 0.3 percent rise in production and a reading of 68.3 percent for capacity utilization. In June, production fell 0.4 percent and capacity utilization was 68.0 percent.

* The Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers preliminary August consumer sentiment index is due at 9:55 a.m. Economists surveyed by Reuters look for a reading of 68.5 compared with 66.0 in the final July report.

* S&P 500 futures were up 1 point, but above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures were flat, and Nasdaq 100 futures were down 2 points.

* Stocks set for a lower open include retailer Nordstrom Inc , which fell 2.7 percent to $28.95 after the bell Wednesday. The retailer reported a steep decline in quarterly profit but still met expectations.

* Shares of software company Autodesk Inc dipped 2.3 percent to $23.65 after the bell after posting stronger-than-expected results and raising its cost-cut targets.

* U.S. stocks ended higher Thursday. The broader S&P 500 index is up 49 percent from its closing low set on March 9.